Couple gets probation for controversial video 'pranks' on kids

The couple convinced their son he was going to be adopted and often left their children in tears in videos they published on YouTube.

Author:
Associated Press , TEGNA

Published:
12:26 PM EDT September 13, 2017

A husband and wife who posted controversial "prank" videos of themselves berating their children have been sentenced to five years of probation.

The Baltimore Sun reported Monday that Heather and Mike Martin each entered Alford pleas to two counts of child neglect. The pleas allow them to maintain their innocence while acknowledging the evidence.

The Maryland couple uploaded videos to their "DaddyOFive" YouTube channel. In them, the parents screamed profanities at their children and broke their toys. They later apologized.

The investigation focused on two biological children of Michael Martin and the stepchildren of Heather Martin. Prosecutors said the kids experienced "substantial impairments of their mental or psychological ability to function."

The probation precludes the Martins from contact with those children or their biological mother unless permitted by a court.